


First Tooth... Life Long Friends

by happy29



Series: Liaison [3]
Category: due South
Genre: M/M, tag_2013
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-16
Updated: 2013-05-16
Packaged: 2017-12-12 01:31:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/805585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happy29/pseuds/happy29
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fraser has to leave for a week of Mountie duties, leaving Ray at home with Diefenbaker and the new puppy Liaison. Ray makes a discovery and freaks, phoning the man responsible for giving Fraser the pup in the first place, Ray Vecchio.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Tooth... Life Long Friends

**Author's Note:**

> This fills my prompt of first tooth. Once again, I steered clear of the traditional meaning behind the phrase and went with my own interpretation. I hope you all are enjoying our game of 'Tag'.
> 
> My next prompt that I am throwing out there for anyone to take and run with is... 'I love you this big"

Fraser pulled Ray close and breathed in his scent. This was the worst part of his job as a Mountie in the Territories, leaving Ray for days on end. It wasn’t that he felt Ray couldn’t fend for himself, no… he proved he was capable of holding his own the moment they stepped off a plane from Chicago and declared themselves a couple. Ray was quick witted and fit in well with the locals.

The problem was Fraser always hated the feeling of being alone once he left. As of late, with the new puppy from his friend in Chicago, Diefenbaker was choosing to stay behind with Ray and Liaison and help hold down the fort… _cabin_. Fraser missed his companion but understood. Diefenbaker was getting on in years and it was much easier on him physically to stay home. Besides, Dief needed to teach the pup a few lessons.

Summer was fast approaching and Fraser had to make the seasonal trip to make sure all the river outlets were clear of debris for the summer rain showers. It was, for the most part solitary work, now that Dief chose to stay behind.

“I really need to get going Ray,” he pulled his lover into a fierce hug. Ray leaned into the embrace and held his partner tight.

“Promise me… promise me you will be careful and you will check in every day.” Ray buried his face into Fraser’s warm neck.

“Ray…”

“No, promise me or you don’t go. They got you one of those satellite phones for a reason, you know.” Ray’s blue eyes were darting back and forth between Fraser’s mouth and his eyes.

“I promise.” Fraser leaned in and captured Ray’s lips with a kiss that seemed to suck the air out and then put it right back into Ray’s lungs.

“God, I love you. If you can’t get the beavers to cooperate within the week, too bad, you have to come home. No negotiating with them if it’s going to keep you gone longer. So the flood waters back up a little.”

“Ray, a lot of damage could be caused if the outlets aren’t cleared for the summer rains.”

“I know…” Ray leaned closer, wrapping his arms tighter around Fraser’s chest. “I’m… I’m stalling. I don’t want you to leave, but I know you have duties to attend to. And it’s only for a week, right? Seven days, one hundred and sixty eight hours… that’s nothing I suppose in the grand scheme of things.”

“Are you okay? You’re not normally this…” Fraser wound his hand around open air, looking for the appropriate word.

“Clingy?” Ray supplied with a small laugh. “I’m sorry. I just hate it when you have to leave. It’s been a while since you’ve been gone this long. Go... I’ll be fine. I’ve got the boys to keep me company.” Dief and Liaison were exiting the kitchen, each with a muffin, baked earlier that morning, dangling from their mouth. They scampered off into the guestroom, at the mention of their names.

“I’ll call every day.” Fraser placed a deep kiss onto Ray’s wet lips. A hand snaked behind his head and pulled him closer. “And I’ll be careful and not let the beaver’s get the best of me.” Fraser broke the kiss and rubbed a thumb over Ray’s reddened lips. “I love you.”

“Me too,” Ray answered quietly. “I’ll be waiting for your call.”

“Before I forget, while you were out with Dief and Liaison earlier, Bert Thomas left a package for you. I placed it on the nightstand.” Fraser grinned at his partner while stepping towards the door with his backpacks, as if to make a hasty retreat. “It’s from Ray Vecchio.”

“What is it?” Ray questioned, curiosity filling his being.

“It’s addressed to you, Ray. It would have been improper not to mention highly illegal for me to open it without your knowledge.” Fraser beamed from the doorway, his packs, slung over his shoulder. “I really have to get going. I will see you in a week.”

With a final kiss and wave goodbye, Ray closed the door behind Fraser. He leaned heavily against it. It was going to be a long seven days. Ray hated this time of year. Remembering the two muffin thieves, he let a small smile play on his lips. “It’s safe now, he’s gone. You can have all the muffins you want for the next seven days.”

Diefenbaker, being the more experienced in muffin snatching, wrapped his head around the corner of the door frame and scanned the room for what Ray assumed was any sign of Fraser. Liaison, on the other hand, bolted around Dief and bounded towards the kitchen.

“Dief, you need to teach that boy of yours the art of patience.” Ray laughed and shook his head when Dief yipped at him, following Liaison into the kitchen. “Well, if you want another muffin, you better get one before gobbly-guts eats them all.” Ray entered the kitchen and divided the muffins evenly amongst the two canines. Dief cocked his head as if he was unsure. “No, it’s okay boy.” Ray leaned forward and rubbed the half-wolf behind the ears. “I don’t care for the bran muffins all that much. Ben just thinks I need more fiber in my diet. You and Liaise can have them all and I’ll just make some berry ones later for me.” Dief yipped again and Ray laughed. "Okay, you can have some of those too. Do you have no shame?"

 

Ray left the two hungry wolves in the kitchen and retreated to his bedroom to retrieve his package from Vecchio. He turned the package over in his hands and finally gave into his curiosity and tore it open. A yellow and black paperback book fell into his lap. He looked for a note but found nothing. Turning the book over in his hands, Ray read the title out loud.

“’Puppy Training for Dummies’. What the hell Vecchio? I’m not stupid. I _know_ how to take care of a dog.” Ray grumbled at the other man’s attempt at what he thought was a joke. Not bothering to even flip through the pages, Ray tossed the unwanted book onto the bookshelf in the corner and went to call Vecchio.

 

Stella answered on the second ring and Ray’s anger dissipated at the cheerfulness in her voice.

“Good morning, Ray. What a pleasant surprise. How are you and Ben getting along?”

“We’re good Stell. He’s gone for a week making sure the river outlets are clear, so it’s me and the boys.”

“How is the puppy?” Ray could picture the smile on Stella’s face as her voice filled with enthusiasm over the mention of the puppy her husband had given his friends.

“Liaison is doing quite well. Dief is teaching him the things Ben doesn’t want him to learn, like muffin snatching and couch hogging. That’s actually why I was calling, is Ray around? I got a bone to pick with him.”

“Uh oh… what did he do?” Stella wasn’t sure she really wanted to know. The rivalry between the two at times could be amusing and childlike. She tried to suppress the laughter that was quickly escaping.

“He sent me a book.” Ray stated matter of fact.

“Oh God, I’m sorry. I _told_ him not to do that.” Ray could hear the embarrassment in Stella’s voice.

“So, put him on the phone so I can kick him in the head.”

“I would, but he’s not here. But I will pass along your message when I see him tonight.”

“Alright, fine. But tell him he’s not off the hook with me.”

They exchanged goodbyes and Ray hung up the phone, not feeling any better about Vecchio’s gift. He decided some time outdoors with the wolves would ease his suddenly tense body. Calling for Dief and Liaison, Ray opened the door and stepped out into the late spring sunshine.

“God, I love Canada.” He inhaled the crisp clean air deep into his lungs and let it out slowly.

He would never regret giving up Chicago to go live with Ben. “Only one hundred and sixty five hours until Ben will be home, that’s a lot of hours.” He bent over and ruffled the scruff on both wolves’ necks. Dief nudged his knee with his snout and Ray sat down in the grass and wrestled with the puppy as Dief watched from the side. “I don’t know what Vecchio’s thinking, sending me that book. I know what I’m doing.” Ray leaned back in the grass and watched as the boys took off and played in the distance. Dief was teaching Liaison the art of pouncing. Life was good.

 

That evening Ray was walking barefoot across the hardwood floors of the cabin and cried out in pain when he stepped on a sharp object. He hobbled to the couch and lifted his foot up to examine the damage. He found a tiny white object stuck in his heel. He pulled it out and brought it closer to his eyes for further examination.

“What the hell? A tooth?” He turned the tooth over in his fingers, wondering where it came from. Shrugging his shoulders, he got up and ventured towards his bedroom to try and phone Fraser. Just inside the doorway, he stepped on another sharp object. He cried out in pain again as he hobbled towards the bed and sank into its comfort. Stuck to the bottom of his big toe, was another tiny tooth.

Liaison appeared at his side and Ray pried the pup’s mouth open and examined his teeth. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! Vecchio gave us a defective mutt. Dog’s teeth are falling out, that can’t be good.” He reached for the phone on the bedside table and phoned his friendly rival. This time he got the man on the first try.

“What did you do? Pick out the worst puppy to give to Fraser as a joke because you knew it would be living with me and I would help raise it? What the fuck, man… I thought we were friends?” Ray’s anger was evident in his tone.

“Hello to you too, Kowalski.” Ray Vecchio laughed into the phone, taking Kowalski’s anger in stride. “Did you get my package?”

“Yeah, joke’s not very funny man.”

“Did you bother to open the book?” Vecchio asked as he rolled his eyes.

“I’m not stupid. I know how to raise a dog. So, _no_ … I didn’t open it. Threw it on the shelf with a bunch of other useless books.”

“When’s the last time you had a dog? I’m guessing when you were a kid, am I right?”

“So, what? I was eight when we got our dog. Wasn't stupid then either.”

“Open the book, Kowalski,” Vecchio said patiently. “You got it opened?”

Ray relented and grabbed the discarded book off the shelf. He opened the cover and found Vecchio’s handwritten note inside the front.

 

‘Kowalski,

Don’t get all bent out of shape over receiving this book, but between the two of us, I think we are way in over our heads with the puppies. I know Fraser knows everything there is to know about the mutts, but he isn’t always going to be there, especially when he’s off saving all of Canada and there are a few things you will have to figure out on your own. So, from one friend to another, here’s a little help. No, disrespect intended. I didn’t title the book, but I realized, maybe I am a dummy when it comes to pups.

Vecchio’

 

“Still, you gave us a defective dog, Vecchio. Its damn teeth are falling out. Now, I love the little guy, so, I’m gonna just deal with feeding him slop I suppose for the rest of its life, but come on, man. I thought we were friends.” Ray explained, the hurt coming through his voice.

“Open the book to like chapter five, Ray, ‘Puppy Teeth’. Puppies start to lose their teeth at about three months. Something you probably wouldn’t have noticed when you were eight. Certainly something I never knew. Give me a little credit, Kowalski. I love Benny and even you. I wouldn’t give you a defective dog as a joke.”

“Dogs lose their teeth, really?” Ray asked his friend, bewildered at the information. “I’m sorry... I thought you were just pulling a joke on me. You know, keeping the rivalry thing alive between us.” He leaned against the headboard and pulled a snoozing Liaison into his lap. “I apologize, Ray, that wasn’t buddies of me.”

“Apology accepted. I guess we can learn a few things from each other after all, huh? Give Benny, my best when he gets home. Take care, Kowalski and make sure you visit with Benny, the next time he comes south.”

“Will do. And… thanks, Ray.” Ray hung up the phone and grinned. He and Vecchio had come a long way on the road to friendship.

He thumbed through the pages of the puppy book and was well into the chapter on the puppy teeth when the phone rang. He smiled at the sound of his lover’s voice on the opposite end.

“Ben, did you know puppies lost their teeth?”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what chapter puppy teeth are mentioned in the book, "Puppy training for Dummies", so please don't beat me up over picking chapter five.


End file.
